When you’re from a small town, that feeling is even further amplified, as mentions of your hometown are very few and far between (if at all). Author Michael J. Hopkins, however, will soon be changing that for Dixon residents. The Irish Ties That Bind by Hopkins uses Dixon as a major setting and is described as a “sweeping historical saga of courage, devotion, and the families whose quiet strength shaped generations.”
Hopkins noted that Dixon, from the time span of the 1920s-1950s, is one of the main settings in his novel, with a character even attending Catholic Community High School (later renamed Newman Catholic High School) in Sterling. When asked about his connection to Dixon, Hopkins noted that he played baseball there occasionally while growing up in Beloit, Wisconsin, and needed a setting that could link the real-life Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa to his fictional families. The Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa taught in the Sauk Valley Area for almost 100 years, so Dixon became the perfect link. Hopkins said, “[Dixon] also brought Ronald Reagan and his family into the story,” adding another layer of local history that will be exciting for hometown readers.
As a whole, The Irish Ties That Bind spans “the Great Depression, two world wars, and the dawn of the Cold War” and tells the story of four families. The first two, the Power and Coughlin families, are driven out of Ireland during the mid-1850s—a time of famine and hardship. They move to the American Midwest and begin planting new roots that lead to their daughters joining the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa. Fast forward to the early 20th century, and the Cullen and Hynes families move to Dixon from an unstable, post-war Chicago. In Dixon, the lives of all the families intersect in a story of “faith, perseverance, and an enduring legacy that spans generations”.
Purchase The Irish Ties That Bind wherever books are sold on September 22, 2026. For more information about the novel or author, visit michael-j-hopkins.author-pages.com.
